Discounted Cyber Essentials Certification for Charities

Indelible Data is offering Cyber Essentials at a discount to charities over the next two weeks, writes Business Administrator Abbey Wright. Charities purchasing Cyber Essentials between the 6th November and the 17th November will benefit from advice and guidance as well as a discounted price as part of a national effort to educate charities about …

Don’t leave it to the last minute to migrate to ISO 27001:2022!

ISO 27001 remains a vital asset for any organisation looking to demonstrate compliance while showing an organisation’s entrenched culture of security, writes Cyber Compliance Technician Aidan Collins. The internationally recognised standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) offers robust protection against cyber threats with its controls, fostering a culture of security. With most organisations being …

Indelible Data teams clash in a messy Capture the Flag showdown!

Indelible Data have been back to paint balling again! This time with bigger teams and more bruises as Abbey Wright discovered. Team captains Jason McNicholas and Euan Henderson led their teams into battle where we took part in trying to capture the flag in three very thrilling terrains. Ultimately, Euan’s team did take the win …

When are user accounts actually admin accounts?

Under Cyber Essentials, there are various controls that are related to administrative accounts and their use, writes Cyber Security Technologist Tyson McGuirk. The scheme makes it very clear that user accounts and admin accounts should be separate and only used for their intended purpose. Admin accounts have access to additional permissions and services that would …

Hackers have developed Android APKs that can evade security software

Android Package Kit (APK) is the file format that the Android Operating Systems use to distribute and install apps, and therefore contains all the elements that an app needs to install correctly on your device, writes Cyber Security Technologist Euan Henderson. According to Zimperium, hackers are using APKs to bypass security measures using new compression …

The Electoral Commission failed Cyber Essentials certification ahead of major breach

The Electoral Commission has admitted failing Cyber Essentials at around the same time as it suffered a major security breach, writes Cyber Security Technologist Tyson McGuirk. In August 2021, names, addresses, and other personal information from the register was compromised in a suspected hack. This incident reflects the significance of the Cyber Essentials scheme as …

Should I include irregular devices and operating systems in Cyber Essentials?

The first step in a Cyber Essentials assessment is to determine what organisational data and organisational services are used in your business, writes Cyber Security Technician Tom Boughton. Common examples of organisational data are emails, documents, database data, or financial data, with common examples of organisational services being software applications, cloud applications, cloud services, and …

How will Windows Server 2012 EOL affect Cyber Essentials?

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 have been among Microsoft’s most successful and widely used server Operating Systems since its release 11 years ago, writes Lead Assessor Jason McNicholas. Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2 will reach their end-of-life on 10th October 2023. This means that Microsoft will cease to provide security updates, bug fixes, …

PSNI Excel Data Breach – What are the lessons learned?

Access management controls and security awareness training could have helped prevent the Northern Ireland police data breach. Earlier this month, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed a serious data leak  stemming from  a Freedom of Information request, writes Cyber Security Technician Thomas Boughton. The request led to an excel spreadsheet containing surnames and …

Vulnerability Scanning, Penetration Testing, and Cyber Essentials Plus – What’s the difference?

We are often asked to describe the differences between the different levels of technical assurance that we offer, writes Director Tony Wilson. In this blog we will focus on three different types of service and conclude with a hybrid service designed for companies with smaller budgets called a “Cyber Audit”: Cyber Essentials Plus Vulnerability Scanning …